In a recently published study, a highly absorbable form of curcumin called BCM-95, from EuroPharma, Green Bay, WI, was compared to fluoxetine (one brand name is Prozac) and imipramine (one brand name is Tofranil) in an animal scientific model of depression and was found to be as effective in alleviating depression as either prescription drug.

The study, “Evaluation of Antidepressant-Like Activity of Curcumin and its Combination with Fluoxetine and Imipramine: an Acute and Chronic Study,” published in Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica, also found no significant adverse safety issues with BCM-95 curcumin use.

The study authors theorize that “antidepressant like activity could be due to an increase in serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the brain.”

BCM-95 curcumin is an extract of the spice turmeric, but only 2-5% of turmeric is curcumin. BCM-95 curcumin has been shown in published human studies to have up to 10 times the absorption of standard curcumin.